Nightstand | Declutter Tips

Jan 2, 2012 by April    3 Comments    Posted under: Declutter Tips

Whether you roll over to hit the snooze button or enter the conscious world on your own, most people are greeted by their nightstand as the first view.

What that view looks like can make or break a person’s mood, for the entire day.

Imagine the difference of starting your day hitting the alarm and …

A) knocking over a glass of water that spills all over your cell phone, the magazines, papers, miscellaneous medicine and/or other items like pens, your wallet even discarded tissues. And forget about it if that nightstand has a drawer. That was open.

or

B) being met with a surface free of clutter, full of room to move the water glass out of harms way and possibly even strategically placed mementos or inspirational items like framed pictures of loved ones or quotes

In scenario A, you would now have a new task added to your day ~ cleaning up the spill, “saving” the miscellaneous items from the harm of water damage.

In scenario B, you may become  ~ dare I say complacent ~ in the appreciation a little declutter can do? Not realizing how much time you just gained by NOT having a minor emergency that gets your day off on the wrong foot.

This little space that welcomes you to the world each day is also one of the reasons folks love to stay in hotels. You know, where you wake up to a room that not only is clutter free but you find comfort in the fact that someone else is going to come in & clean it for you!

Ahhh.

So, what’s the compromise?

Making the effort to declutter your nightstand, one baby step at a time.

Trust me, the lineup for Declutter Tips this month is no random list. Each tip has been determined on a small area you can work on to show maximum results, leading up to larger projects.

How to Declutter Your Nightstand:

Declutter Tip #1:

• Start with what you know
• this has been my mantra for clients since the beginning of my career
• choose an item you can “put away”
• such as the extra dishes – those belong in the kitchen/dishwasher
• or the change scattered across the surface from emptying out pockets ~ that belongs in your wallet or a piggy bank

Declutter Tip #2:

• Play “What’s Wrong With This Picture”
• take a step back and observe the surface with a mindset of “what doesn’t belong” here, sure you may not know where to put it just yet but you’re aware it doesn’t belong next to your bed

Declutter Tip #3:

• Consider your habits
• what tends to gravitate to this surface? Could you redirect any of those items?
• if pens are swirling among the clutter, would a cup-like container help? Giving the pens a “home” when not in use?

Declutter Tip #4:

For the items that do live on your nightstand, which are fluid {like magazines} and which are staples {like your alarm clock}? How are you maintaining the fluid items?

• building in time to take care of items is the key to a good declutter strategy
• consider the evening before your week begins {for most this would be Sunday evening}, take 5-10 minutes to do Declutter Tips 1-3
• Even if you don’t finish them all the first week you’ve taken the biggest step by making time to take care of the surface in your schedule.

Eventually you’ll find the clutter will begin to dwindle and you’ll have created a habit of decluttering as you go.

Join me over on The Mental Clutter Coach Facebook Page or below in the comments:

Do you have nightstand declutter tips that have helped you start your day with one less thing to worry about?

Got anything to say? Go ahead and leave a comment!